The document proposes a service-oriented architecture (SOA) framework to simplify the development of educational serious games. It identifies the key functional elements of serious games and groups them into clusters that could be developed as reusable services, such as databases, assessment, feedback, and adaptivity. The goal is to create a toolbox of possibilities that helps designers decide what pieces can be reused across games to reduce costs and time spent on development. Future work involves building an SOA framework that encourages standards and a consistent structure to further streamline the process.

1. Towards a Service-Oriented
Architecture framework for
educational serious games
Maira B. Carvalho1,2, Francesco Bellotti2, Jun Hu1, Jannicke
Baalsrud Hauge3, Riccardo Berta2, Alessandro De Gloria2 and
Matthias Rauterberg1
ICALT 2015 - July 6th, 2015
1Eindhoven University of Technology
2University of Genoa
3BIBA, University of Bremen

2. Selecting and organizing the key
functionalities of serious games can
help us develop them more efficiently.
1

3. Outline
∙ The problem
∙ One possible solution
∙ Towards the solution
∙ Conclusion
2

4. Defining the object
∙ Serious games: games with a purpose other than to
just entertain
∙ Educational serious games: games created specifically
for teaching some knowledge or skill
3

5. The problem

6. Producing educational serious games
can be costly and time-consuming
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7. Each game is unique
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8. And development requires
multidisciplinary teams
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9. How can we deal with this?
We need to reduce conceptual and technological
complexity of serious game development.
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10. A possible solution

11. Service-oriented architectures (SOA) for SGs
∙ Service-oriented
architectures (SOA) can
offer what we need
DIVIDE AND CONQUER
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12. Service-oriented architectures (SOA) for SGs
∙ Service-oriented
architectures (SOA) can
offer what we need
∙ SOA: loosely coupled,
black-box components
orchestrated to deliver a
well-defined level of
service
DIVIDE AND CONQUER
10

13. Service-oriented architectures (SOA) for SGs
∙ Service-oriented
architectures (SOA) can
offer what we need
∙ SOA: loosely coupled,
black-box components
orchestrated to deliver a
well-defined level of
service
∙ Reusability,
compositionality,
maintenance
DIVIDE AND CONQUER
10

14. Where do we start?
11

15. Figuring out SG architectures

16. Serious games elements
Serious games elements:
∙ Building blocks of the game
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17. Serious games elements
Serious games elements:
∙ Building blocks of the game
∙ Constitute gameplay over time
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18. Serious games elements
Serious games elements:
∙ Building blocks of the game
∙ Constitute gameplay over time
∙ Examples: characters, tokens,
tips, help messages, challenges,
graphics, feedback mechanisms,
assessment, etc.
13

19. We can work with this...
14

20. But maybe like this is better!
15

21. Our approach
Selecting and organizing the key functionalities of
serious games can help us develop them more efficiently.
16

22. Selecting and organizing elements
∙ We started with a unified
taxonomy of SG elements*
*
Maira B. Carvalho, Francesco Bellotti, Riccardo Berta, Alessandro De Gloria, Carolina Islas Sedano, Jannicke
Baalsrud Hauge, Jun Hu, Matthias Rauterberg (2015). An activity theory-based model for serious games analysis
and conceptual design. Computers & Education (87), 166-181, doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2015.03.023
17

23. Selecting and organizing elements
∙ We started with a unified
taxonomy of SG elements*
∙ Selected the (1) most relevant
and (2) most reusable elements
*
Maira B. Carvalho, Francesco Bellotti, Riccardo Berta, Alessandro De Gloria, Carolina Islas Sedano, Jannicke
Baalsrud Hauge, Jun Hu, Matthias Rauterberg (2015). An activity theory-based model for serious games analysis
and conceptual design. Computers & Education (87), 166-181, doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2015.03.023
17

24. Selecting and organizing elements
∙ We started with a unified
taxonomy of SG elements*
∙ Selected the (1) most relevant
and (2) most reusable elements
∙ Regrouped according to
functional domains
*
Maira B. Carvalho, Francesco Bellotti, Riccardo Berta, Alessandro De Gloria, Carolina Islas Sedano, Jannicke
Baalsrud Hauge, Jun Hu, Matthias Rauterberg (2015). An activity theory-based model for serious games analysis
and conceptual design. Computers & Education (87), 166-181, doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2015.03.023
17

25. Selecting and organizing elements
∙ We started with a unified
taxonomy of SG elements*
∙ Selected the (1) most relevant
and (2) most reusable elements
∙ Regrouped according to
functional domains
∙ Identify clusters of candidate
services for a SG framework
*
Maira B. Carvalho, Francesco Bellotti, Riccardo Berta, Alessandro De Gloria, Carolina Islas Sedano, Jannicke
Baalsrud Hauge, Jun Hu, Matthias Rauterberg (2015). An activity theory-based model for serious games analysis
and conceptual design. Computers & Education (87), 166-181, doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2015.03.023
17

26. Identified clusters
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27. Information storage and retrieval
∙ In-game knowledge databases
∙ Learning domain knowledge
databases
∙ Services for querying these
databases (e.g. natural language
Q&A)
19

28. Between-players interaction
∙ The simplest type of interaction:
collect, display and compare
scores
∙ Example: social leaderboards
20

29. Student-instructor interaction
∙ Query players/students
∙ Prompt for answers to questions
(questions and surveys)
∙ Prompt for reflections on
learning process (student
diaries)
21

30. Assessment
∙ Quantitative (automatic)
assessment
∙ Qualitative (instructor-provided)
assessment
∙ Engagement, confidence and
satisfaction assessment
∙ Learning analytics
22

31. Adaptivity
∙ Consolidate information from
different assessments services
∙ Evaluate this information
∙ Make decisions on how the
game should react
∙ Serve information back to the
game
23

32. Feedback
∙ Send results of in-game
assessment back to the learner
∙ Support player’s self-reflection
on learning
∙ Example: dashboards
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33. User profiling
∙ Common user profile service
enables synchronization and
persistent features across
different games and learning
settings
∙ (Not directly derived from the
taxonomy)
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34. Game connectors
∙ Adapter modules and data
models that link external
services to the game
∙ Possibly game engine plug-ins
with events listeners and trigger
managers
∙ Most likely be game- or at least
genre-specific
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35. Conclusion

36. Conclusions
∙ These clusters serve as toolbox for designers and
developers
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37. Conclusions
∙ These clusters serve as toolbox for designers and
developers
∙ A list of possibilities, not a prescription
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38. Conclusions
∙ These clusters serve as toolbox for designers and
developers
∙ A list of possibilities, not a prescription
∙ They can help deciding granularity of services
28

39. Conclusions
∙ These clusters serve as toolbox for designers and
developers
∙ A list of possibilities, not a prescription
∙ They can help deciding granularity of services
∙ Easier to consider which pieces can be reused
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40. Future work: SOA framework for SGs
∙ The goal: to create a SOA framework for educational
serious games
29

41. Future work: SOA framework for SGs
∙ The goal: to create a SOA framework for educational
serious games
∙ Simplify development process
29

42. Future work: SOA framework for SGs
∙ The goal: to create a SOA framework for educational
serious games
∙ Simplify development process
∙ Encourage use of interoperability standards and
consistent structure across game components
29

43. Future work: SOA framework for SGs
∙ The goal: to create a SOA framework for educational
serious games
∙ Simplify development process
∙ Encourage use of interoperability standards and
consistent structure across game components
∙ Reduce costs and time to market
29

44. Selecting and organizing the key
functionalities of serious games can
help us develop them more efficiently.
30

45. Thank you!
m.brandao.carvalho@tue.nl
http://bit.ly/soapaper
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